South Gwinnett News

As the gubernatorial race heats up between incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp, R-Ga., and Democrat Stacey Abrams, the planned closure of the Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center has become a new topic at the head of the conversation.

According to a Sept. 2 report by FOX 5 Atlanta, the closure will not only impact employees, it will also have a ripple effect, especially for minorities and underserved communities, as the medical center has a history of doing charitable work in the community. 

“It's really important for us as a city and as a community to make a commitment to ensuring that everyone has access regardless of where you live, how much money you make," Rodney Lyn, dean of Georgia State University’s School of Public Health, told FOX 5 Atlanta.

Abrams wasted little time pointing an accusatory finger at Kemp, charging that his inaction on Medicaid expansion is one of the primary reasons why the hospital now finds itself in its current state, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. 

"The uncompensated care rate that is closing this hospital would have been mitigated, and we know it's true because, in every state that has expanded Medicaid, they have seen their uncompensated care rate slashed in half," Abrams told FOX 5 Atlanta.

According to the report, as concern and outrage have deepened over the planned closure, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is now set to meet with Wellstar in the coming days in hopes of finding a pathway forward for the hospital to perhaps remain in service.